Introduction
Appearing at the merge of ethical and biological, cloning issues have been regarded as controversial since the very concept was born. After numerous cautionary tales about the consequences of plating God, humankind has been treating cloning rather carefully for understandable reasons. However, with the opportunities that cloning opens for patients, the time to reconsider the principles that should regulate cloning.
The Ethical Issues
Before going any further, it is necessary to stress that there are several types of cloning (Hochedlinger & Jaenisch, 2003), the specifics of which define the related ethical issues.
DNA cloning
Also known as recombinant DNA technology, DNA cloning presupposes that a specific fragment of the DNA of one organism is transported to a self-replicating genetic element. The greatest concerns in the specified field are entering God’s domain and the results of the possible programming errors.
Reproductive cloning
Also being the most famous kind of cloning, reproductive cloning means creating a reduplicate of a certain organism. The obvious ethical concerns touch upon religion (playing God) and the consciousness of the clone. It is essential to mention that reproductive cloning is banned all over the world (Katayama, 2001).
Therapeutic cloning
When it comes to providing patients with donor cells to replace tissues, which therapeutic cloning is usually defined as the obvious moral concern is the moral status of the IVF embryos.
The Current Principles
As it has been stated above, it seems that at present, the approach towards cloning has not been defined yet. While cloning is generally considered controversial, it has been accepted as an acceptable practice in several states. It should be mentioned, though, that cloning has been prohibited in many states, including Arkansas, California, Michigan, and some others, as well as such countries as Canada, Romania, and Australia (Denker, 2009). In the rest of the world, cloning is looked with suspicion at, yet generally allowed.
What Should Be Changed
Since the research of the possibilities of cloning, as well as the opportunities that it opens for humankind, is still in process, it is worth stressing that the existing ethical principles have not been shaped well yet. In addition, it is necessary to stress that cloning can be approached from various ethical positions.
Ethical relativism
Whenever considering ethics as a part of a medical-related issue, it is important to keep in mind that ethics is relative. What is moral in one culture is immoral in another one; known as ethical relativism, the given concept shows the world diversity and the plurality of opinions. When such a concept as cloning is viewed through an ethical relativism lens, it becomes obvious that medical researches should be a no man’s land in terms of ethics. While basic moral concepts that cross legal issues must be followed, the principles must apply should not hinder the development of the new strategies and methods. With that being said, one must admit that the principles of ethical relativism, i.e., a sacrifice for the sake of having a compromise between two cultures, is unacceptable in such an issue as cloning, which requires experimenting and, therefore, triggers both success and failures.
Kantian theory
According to Kant, goodwill justifies the result. As a field that has not been researched well and, therefore, can return negative results, cloning needs the elements of Kantian theory especially badly. Since the field has not been researched yet, the negative outcome is possible. Justified by goodwill, these experiments will lead to an even greater breakthrough and further improvements. Therefore, goodwill must be among the key principles of cloning (Coors, 2002).
Utilitarianism
Since the outcomes of cloning are rather unpredictable due to the lack of conducted researches, cloning as a concept might conflict with the key Utilitarianism principle, i.e., the idea that the right action should produce a positive outcome. On the one hand, it can be considered that Utilitarianism flashes a green signal to cloning, since, with every positive outcome, cloning is proven ethically appropriate. On the other hand, several experiments in cloning end in rather a deplorable way, which comes into conflict with the Utilitarianism principle. Therefore, Utilitarianism ethics should be avoided when considering cloning issues (Easterbrook, 2009).
Bioethics
A relatively new approach, the given system of moral values incorporates the principles of human dignity, non-maleficence, and the sanctity of human life. The latter, however, should not be interpreted in the religious context; i.e., it should not prevent reproductive cloning from being carried out (Pulman, 2007).
The Possible Threats
One of the greatest threats regarding the field of cloning nowadays is that stringent rules and ethical restrictions will prevent cloning from being developed to the point when cloning as the means to save a person’s life will be banned.
Avoiding the Controversies
Cloning is doubtlessly a very controversial issue. However, there are ways to avoid these controversies. By adopting a rational approach, one can avoid several ethical concerns (Shenfield, 2000).
Conclusion
Since science is way ahead of the strategies of solving moral dilemmas in the XXI century, the issue of cloning is bound to remain an open-ended question for several years more. Nevertheless, cloning should be governed by the following principles:
- Sanctity of human life;
- Goodwill of the participants;
- Preservation of human dignity;
- Experiments certification;
- Avoidance of Utilitarianism approach.
Once the above-mentioned measures are undertaken, it can be assumed that cloning will become a less controversial issue.
Reference List
Coors, M 2002 ‘Therapeutic cloning: from consequences to contradiction,’ The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, vol. 27 no. 3, p. 297.
Denker, H-W 2009 ‘Ethical concerns over use of new cloning technique in humans,’ Nature, vol. 461 no. 7262, p. 341.
Easterbrook, G 2009 ‘Cloning and a change in the meaning of life: stem cell research,’ Current, vol. 6 no. 413, p. 19.
Hochedlinger, K & Jaenisch, R 2003 ‘Nuclear transplantation, embryonic stem cells and the potential for cell therapy,’ The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 349, no. 3, pp. 275–286.
Katayama, A 2001 ‘Human reproductive cloning and related techniques: an overview of the legal environment and practitioner attitudes,’ Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, vol. 18 no. 8, p. 442.
Pulman, B 2007 ‘The issues involved in cloning: sociology and bioethics,’ Revue Française de Sociologie, no. 48, pp. 129–156.
Shenfield, F 2000 ‘Human cloning by James Humber; Robert Almeder.’ Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 26 no. 3, p. 222.